"A haunting peek at the life of a teenage girl in 1950s New Orleans."-- Entertainment Weekly It's 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. Praise for OUT OF THE EASY "Sepetys writes with rawness and palpable emotional unease...the stakes are momentous."-- The New York Times Book Review "Street-smart, literary and compassionate... Atmospheric and assured...nicely paced novel."-- Wall Street Journal * "A surefire winner. Immensely satisfying."-- Kirkus , starred review New York Times bestseller An Amazon Best Book of the Year 2013 A Kirkus Best Book of 2014 A Goodreads Best Young Adult Fiction Book of 2013 Yalsa Best Fiction for Young Adults nomination Carnegie Medal Finalist

Josie, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a French Quarter prostitute, is striving to escape 1950 New Orleans and enroll at prestigious Smith College when she becomes entangled in a murder investigation.